Tuesday, June 15, 1999
Lakota to dissect school day
Study looks at calendar, hours
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
UNION TOWNSHIP — Educators in the Lakota system know the calendar has an impact on instruction. And they know the hours school is in session also affects learning.
Now they want to know whether Lakota's structure is the best it can be.
A Time and Learning Committee is being formed and will hold an organizational meeting June 23 in the media center at Lakota Freshman School. The group's task is to evaluate Lakota's current practices, philosophy and procedures to determine how effectively the schools use academic time. They will also look at what other districts do.
“We keep coming back to, how do students learn best,” Superintendent Kathleen Klink said. “Some of us went to a national conference earlier this year on how the calendar impacts instruction. We've been talking about it informally. Now we want to explore the topic in a more organized way.”
Parents, teachers, students and staff members are invited to participate as committee members, Mrs. Klink said. The group will focus on four areas:
• The academic day: When should the school day start and end? Is the nine-month calendar best for learning? How and when do students learn best? How could the day be structured differently?
• Professional development: How is professional development for teachers and staff affected by changes in the academic calendar? Could the schedule accommodate professional and curriculum development without taking teachers out of the classroom? If changes are made, what training would teachers need to improve instruction?
“Ongoing learning by people who have daily contact with our students is vital,” assistant superintendent Mike Taylor said. “How do you build that into the school day?”
• Facilities: Are Lakota's facilities being fully used? Would they be adequate if academic calendar changes were proposed? How could the community better use them?
• Choice: How can the schedule offer the best opportunity to learn and the most choices for families?
“This is the kind of topic that will take a lot of time,” Mrs. Klink said. “It's time to take it on.
“I'm not saying this is a year-round school committee. Our hope is to form groups within the committee and do an in-depth exploration. That might mean we read books, visit other schools, whatever research it takes.”
Already, educators have received a waiver from the state, which will allow the district, on a trial basis, to structure early-release days differently next year, Mr. Taylor said. Each quarter, students will come to school for only a half-day — either the morning or afternoon. Teachers will use the four half-days for training or curriculum development.
The district has received a $3,000 time and learning planning grant from Cinergy to help fund the study, Mrs. Klink said.
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